Saint John of the Cross: Wisdom Sayings

by John of the Cross

Saint John of the Cross Wisdom SayingsTo the men and women he was guiding along a spiritual path Saint John of the Cross occasionally gave apophthegmata (wisdom sayings) for them to ponder prayerfully and make their own. They are designed to catch the reader’s attention, and to provoke thought. They take various forms, including plain statement, exclamation, admonition and prayer, and they are usually arresting, sometimes disturbing, and often puzzling or moving too. They demand to be read, like Scripture, in a contemplative devoutly, thoughtfully and repeatedly, with a view to discerning God’s will.

This edition presents the sayings in Spanish, with an English version designed to assist a meditative reading.


Terence O’Reilly is Professor Emeritus of Spanish at University College Cork and a member of the Royal Irish Academy.

“O’Reilly provides a text that is readable, understandable, accessible.”Sarah Newton Mount Carmel, Vol. 70, No. 2 (Spring 2022), pp. 79–84.

“Professor O’Reilly has done us a great service by preparing this new translation”
Neil Xavier O’Donoghue The Furrow, Vol. 73, No. 6 (June 2022), pp. 374–375.

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2022

About the author

St. John of the Cross (Spanish: Juan de la Cruz), born June 24 1542, Juan de Yepes Álvarez, was a major Counter-Reformation figure, a Spanish mystic, Catholic saint, Carmelite friar and priest. He was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered, along with St Teresa of Ávila, as a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. He's also known for his writings. Both his poetry & his studies on the growth of the soul are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature & a peak of all Spanish literature. He was canonized as a saint in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII. He is one of the 33 Doctors of the Church. (less)